East Moriches Driver Charged With DWI After Valentine's Crash, Passenger Seriously Injured

A 37-year-old Manorville man, Zachary Kollegger, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after his 2021 Chevrolet Traverse left East Moriches Boulevard and crashed into a wooded area at Locust Avenue about 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, Suffolk County police said. Seventh Squad detectives ask anyone with information to call 631-852-8752.

Suffolk County police say Kollegger was driving westbound on East Moriches Boulevard when he lost control of the Chevrolet Traverse, which left the roadway and struck trees in the wooded area at the intersection with Locust Avenue. The vehicle was impounded following the crash as part of the ongoing investigation.

Both occupants were taken first to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and later transferred to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, police said. The passenger, identified as 34-year-old Kristin Regina of Manorville, is being treated at South Shore University Hospital for serious injuries. Kollegger sustained non-life-threatening injuries and also received treatment at South Shore University Hospital.

Kollegger has been charged with DWI and is expected to be arraigned at the First District Court in Central Islip at a later date, according to police. No additional charges or toxicology results have been released by investigators as of this report.

Greater Long Island reported that Regina is Kollegger’s wife, that the couple were married last fall, and that they have two young children; Greater Long Island also reported that Regina works as a registered nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital. Those family and employment details have not been independently confirmed by Suffolk County police in the initial statement.

The crash removes at least one local health care worker from duty while she recovers, and the transfers from Peconic Bay Medical Center to South Shore University Hospital highlight the strain serious traumas place on regional hospital capacity. South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead handled the initial and follow-up care for both patients, underscoring the cross-county flow of emergency services for serious crashes on the South Shore.

Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are continuing the investigation; they reiterated that anyone who witnessed the crash or has video is asked to call 631-852-8752. Police have impounded the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse as part of evidence collection while other details, including any crash reconstruction findings and toxicology results, remain pending.